The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1887-02-04
An Awful Experience.
STORY OF A WOMAN WHO FELL
400 FEET DOWN A CANYON WITH
OUT HARM.


OUT HARM.
Mrs. J. +. Townsley of Chicago was
an occupant of the stage. coach that
toppled distance of 400 feet down
Independence Pass, Col, last month,
without sustaining as much as a
scratch. Mrs. Townsley is preposs-
cssing young lady about 25 years of
age. Describing the marvellous inc'-
dent, the details of which have not be
fore been printed, she says:
"At dsybreak on December l6 |
wakened at my hotel in Leadvile and
was informed that the Aspen stage was
waiting FOR me. 1t was bitter cold and
showing so densely that the driver had
to pilot me TO the coach. had on a
heavy double-fold velvet dress, seal.
skin sacqe, a buffalo robe pinned over
my shoulders, my head covered by a
fur cap and my face enveloped in a
shawl, allowing an aperture for my
eyes. Despite all these projections |
was frightfully cold.
The coach was drawn by six horses
and was on wheels. We were pre-
ceeded by the Granite coach, whicn
was on runners The road over Elk
Mountain is a natural one that will ad.
NIT of but single coach passing. AT
the apex of the mountain the Granite
coach halted in station blasted out
OF the rock and allowed us to go ahead.
Here the descent began. The road at
this point runs at an incline of 450.
The driver put on bis lockchain to the
wheels, thus virtually converting them
into runners. The vehicle, despite
these precautions, and by its own
weight, went down at frightful pace.
We could barely keep our seats We
balanced ourselves as best we could.
Running up from the truck and
through the box of the coach was a
bar of steel called the kipg-pin. /
clung to this aud managed to keep my
self right side up. Down the narrow
path in the side of the mountain we
went, with the horses in mad gallop
to keep the coach from running them
down. We were rounding Independ-
euoe Pass when suddenly The driver
cried: "Jump jump for your --'
He never finished the sentence.
He had been holding the coach as
near the embankment as the narrow
pass would permit. Ahead of him he
saw heavy boulder topple and fall
down the mountain side and into the
path. This caused him to make the
cry of warning The obstruction was
but twenty yards ahead of him and it
was beyond human power to stay the
impetus the coach had gotten coming
down the incline. l saw the driver
leap. Inside we all held on to the
king-piu. Down we went and in au.
other instant the forward wheels struck
the rock. The hind part of the coach
was thrown forward and outward and
the king pin snapped asunder like a
reed.
| The coach with all in it went over
the precipico on its side, and / fell out
through the window. Less fortunate
than myself, the coach and my fellow
tourists lodged in crevice on the side
of the precipice, some $50 feet below
the road l was thrown out with such
force that cleared the crag and kept
on and down the full 400 feet to the
bed of the canyon and into bank of
snow. cutting my way into it as if it
was water, head first.
The Granite coach, just to the rear
of us, pulled into a notch in the rocks
and the driver and some prospectors
got out and began to climb down to
where l had lodged. Armed with
shovels they began to dig me out, and,
it is curious to relate that the one flesh
wound received was from the blade
of shovel, which plowed up furrow
in my ankle when they reached me, I
was finally dug out, unconscious and to
all appearances dead.
Restortatives were administered and
/ was taken up and carried to the toll
house at the head of the cliff. Here
my hands and limbs were rubbed and
my face slapped until my cheeks were
raw, but all to no avail. l was black
in the face and there was no audible
or visible respiration. l was left in
the care of the toll.keeper and the
Granite coach passengers with the two
drivers started for Aspen, thirteen
miles distant to summon surgical aid.
One of the party returned at midnight.
In the meantime l had revived, and
had in company with toll-keeper, gone
down in sleigh to the dinner station,
three miles below, and was administer
ing to the wounded and dying. All
of the rest had sustained frightful IN
juries in their fall of $50 feet, while l
falling over twice the distance, came
out of the disaster sustaining no other
injuries thar bruise inflicted by the
shovel.
"What was it that ma said TO you